The Core Four Actions You Need To Take To Start Your Time Management Practice
Hey there friend!
You thought time management is boring?
WRONG!
I am here to tell you that it could be something you have fun with, and you are looking forward doing on daily or weekly basis.If you missed Part 1 of the Time Management series, click below to read it over..
So, the last time we talked about The Big Picture and finally today we are diving into the small details. We will talk about how to reorganize your agenda and master your schedule so you can get everything done and still have the free time you want. Where is the fun part you ask? It's the fact that YOU get to choose what's important to you.
You are not letting your calendar rule your life. You are the one that set the rules!
My strategy is always to deconstruct the project – what is the desired outcome and think backwards what I need to do.
Here are the First 4 essential steps to create a schedule that will work with your daily flow:
Decide what is important to YOU.
Is it keeping up with the weekly coffee meetings with “the girls,” attending a talk that you are really interested in, going to a fitness class that you really like, having dinner with the family, finishing that project before certain deadline so you need to work extra few hours here and there, doing some research on a topic that you need to present, time off or vacation POI. Whatever it is important to you, put it in your calendar FIRST. Everything else will be scheduled around it! That is your non-negotiable item. You can be as detailed as you'd like, especially if it'll help you with executing the task.
2. Have a planner or a calendar.
Some people are very much against having a planner, but I love it. It will give you an idea and VISUALS for what the day, week, month, and year will look like. For some people, it's an eye opener - they realize that they have overbooked themselves and they need to spread the events/ projects. For others - it shows them where they can utilize their time better, have more free time and enjoy life!
3. Write down your list.
Most people get overwhelmed when they see a long to-do list, so here is my strategy for it: I like to write down everything the night before, like a brain dump. That way my brain is not going to continue thinking and making mental notes as I’m trying to fall asleep. You can prioritize it then or in the morning, your choice. The important part here is that you have a starting point and when you wake up you will not waste time wondering what to do and where to start. You have a plan!
Pro tip: Don't put more than 5 MAJOR tasks, especially if they require significant time to complete them. You can have few "floating" tasks to fill your extra time.
4. How to prioritize your To-Do list
I have many thoughts on this but the main one is - what works for you?Some days I like to start with the small tasks because I know they need to be done by a certain time, even though they are not the big-ticket item on my list. Other days - I start with a difficult task (the one that I am dreading the most) - I need to address it because it's giving me anxietyI would say, don't start the menial work to avoid the important stuff. Always go with what is the most important for today!Another strategy I often talk about and like to implement is “connecting the tasks.” What I mean by that is, if you have one item on your list that is connected to the outcome of another item on your to-do list, find the very first link of that "project" to start the chain reaction and work your way through it.
Side note: Whatever didn't get finished today, it's the top priority tomorrow!
I can go on forever on this topic but I will stop here for now 😊Next: The final 5 steps you can take to master your time management - the practical stuff.
xo Pavlina